Ah! My Island!
by LadyKleo
Summary: Two former best friends. One desert island. No alcohol. And plenty of time to cope with all that without any powers. Will Urd and Mara overcome their differences and deal with hardships that await them? Will friendship prevail? Warning: shoujo ai
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer:_ All characters violently abused in this piece of fiction belong to Kousuke Fujishima, author of Oh My Goddess and/or his publishers Kodansha(Japan) and Dark Horse Comics.

_Translator's notes:_ This story has been translated from its original language (Russian) by me, Asterdw, so if something sounds awkward or downright wrong - it's all my fault.

_Warning:_ This fanfic may contain mild violence, (not really so) bad language and, possibly, some adult themes in the future (shoujo ai). There will be a separate warning and a rating change in case the aforementioned themes will be included.

Enjoy!

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**_Ah! My Island!_**

_Chapter 1_

"How dare you! … Too weak… Should have… Nooo!" The fusion of voices, loud rumble and flashes of light. I closed my eyes tight and tried to cover my ears... And woke up. I immediately wished I hadn't, though, because at that very moment I was swept away by an avalanche of pain. Just about every cell of my body hurt, as if I had endured a full program in a washing machine, and spent some quality time in the tumble dryer on top of that. So I made an effort to remain still and keep my eyes shut, and just fully concentrated on that pain. It was odd, because I wasn't supposed to feel it at all. Those of my kind regenerate in our sleep, and do it relatively quickly. I couldn't recall the system failing us like this, not unless it was severely damaged. But this was equally unlikely, as after the last incident the intrusion security was enhanced significantly, and I knew this from having contributed a lot to those modifications myself. So the problem was in me, and so now I only had to rely on myself for healing. First, I completely blocked signals from the pain receptors. This had an inconvenient side effect of preventing me from feeling anything at all, but it still was a good start. The recovery itself was relatively straightforward: some control over my body to accelerate natural regeneration, some magic to patch up everything else, some patience for the processes to go as they should have and lots and lots of willpower to control all of the above. About a half an hour in that state and I was guaranteed to spend the next 24 hours in near-comatose hibernation, as all my powers had been drained dry. And the last thing I felt before collapsing into that blissful dreamless sleep was a rather strong shove and someone's resentful grumbling.

My next awakening was somewhat better than the previous one, ignoring the fact that sleeping on solid ground did wonders in giving me a backache and I was dying to take a bath. I opened my eyes and nearly let out a scream after realizing where exactly I was. I found myself stretched outon a sandy beach with a lush tropical forest behind me and no one, literally, not a living soul, anywhere in sight. A detailed self-examination didn't serve to lift my spirits – I was clearly having a bad hair day, my dress was torn to shreds and my arms and legs were covered in fresh scars and scratches. I tried sending a probe request to Yggdrasil, but was left without any response. An attempt to restore my clothes also ended in a failure, but I did manage to untangle my hair. This could only mean that I had retained the powers directly related to my body and nothing else. Just perfect. Having failed to find anything better to do, I decided to go swimming. I quickly discarded the rags that were once had been proudly referred to as my battle suit and strolled down to the sea. Salty waves embraced me gently, washing away sand and dirt. I had once heard somewhere that cleanliness is next to godliness and whatever it meant, there seemed to be a grain of truth in it, since I could literally feel my body's recovery accelerating and all that was left to do was to float on my back and observe the scars disappearing in front of my eyes. It wasn't long before I spotted a huge coastal rock, cutting deep into the sea. I dived and swam towards the said rock, amused by the schools of vividly colored tropical fishes hurrying away from me, and rejoicing at my remaining ability to breathe underwater. And when I emerged from the water I had a surprise waiting for me. There was a silhouette of a person sitting on the rock with its feet submerged in water but, blinded by the bright rays of the sun, I couldn't make out the face.

"Are you done showing off, Little Mermaid?"

And then I realized that my troubles were only just beginning.

---

"So do you know where we are and what happened?" I had climbed out of the water and was now sitting next to Mara, drying my hair. Last ten minutes were wasted on her passionate declamations, which I wasn't paying attention to. At all.  
"You betcha! Of course I do!" My former friend was barefoot, but still completely enveloped in her cape despite the heat.  
"Well..?" I was beginning to lose patience.  
"And why the hell should I tell you?" She grinned.

The desire to blast her with my most powerful lightning strike was overwhelming, but the sky didn't split itself to my calling and instead of the shining bolt Mara was hit by a small electric discharge which couldn't even tickle someone.

"Is this all you can do, oh mighty queen of thunder?" She roared with laughter.

I grabbed her by the collar, but lost my balance and we both tumbled into the water. Now was my turn to chuckle, since it soon became obvious that during her relatively long life Mara had never bothered to learn how to swim and she was now floundering about in the water, trying to stay on the surface and spewing out impressively elaborate curses.

"Urd, get me out of here! Help me get to the bloody shore!" She got entangled in her own cape and was now clearly panicking.  
"And what will I get in return?" I knew I could catch her at any moment, but I wouldn't be myself if I lost such a great chance to use the situation to my advantage.  
"You… you demon!" Mara blurted out, but immediately changed her mind. "All right, I'll tell you where we are, just help me!"

I immediately grabbed her and only a minute later we were both lying on the beach. However, it was long before Mara stopped spitting out water and cursing all those who had created it with such a revolting taste.

"Well...?" I stared into her eyes impatiently.  
"You really don't remember anything? Nothing at all?" Her voice actually sounded curious rather than mocking.  
"Last thing I recall was falling asleep in my own bed on the 1st of July." I decided to be frank.  
"She did a great job at blasting you then…" My former friend murmured almost inaudibly.  
"Maaaara…"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm trying to start telling you." She inhaled deeply. "I don't actually know how all this mess began, since I wasn't there, but you had a huge row with Hild-sama, you attacked her with your lightning bolts, and then she completely lost it: shut you off from Yggdrasil and chucked you out to this island. We should be somewhere around New Zealand, if I'm not mistaken."  
"Wait, and how did you get here then?"  
"Hild-sama's orders, of course. She couldn't leave her precious daughter alone here, now could she?" Mara said, smirking. "So I was sent to keep an eye on you. You know, in case local savages get the wrong idea from you flaunting your naked body like that…"

I glanced over my body with unconcealed pride and realized that the loss of the dress was really nothing to mourn. But she was right; I couldn't walk around the island like this all the time.

"If you don't like what you see, make me some clothes – you know I can't do it myself now."

Mara closed her eyes and stretched out her hand, summoning her powers, but nothing happened. I also noticed that the sleeve of her shirt was torn and revealed a large scar. Now it was clear why she was muffled in her cape like that.

"Mara, how**_ did_** you get here?" I sincerely hoped that my voice did not betray my anxiety.  
"Right…" She sighed and looked away." I also took a thrashing, but don't ask me why. "

I lifted the cape and got treated to a grim view: through the tears in the fabric of her shirt I could see numerous scratches and wounds on her arms and shoulders, some barely visible but some still bleeding. Mara was so much better at harming than healing.

"Need help?" I tried to touch the most dangerous-looking wound, but Mara jerked away.  
"Keep your divine interventions to yourself, thank you very much." She snapped.

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_TBC. As soon as the translatorstops being lazy._


	2. Chapter 2

_Translator's notes:_ Hi all. Since English isn't actually my first language either, I thought it would be very helpful if you could point out any mistakes (especially concerning wrong choice of words) in reviews or e-mail. Thanks and enjoy this chapter.

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_Chapter 2_

Several days had passed. We hadn't talked since our first meeting and, in general, tried to stay away from each other as far as possible. No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn't remember what had happened between me and Hild and why I got banished to this island. Honestly speaking, just about anything could have sparked the conflict since Daimakaicho and I didn't really have the most cordial of relationships. Anyway, during the time I spent on the island, I had managed to construct a sort of a makeshift shelter on the beach and gather enough firewood to get by. Those who had known me at home and on Earth would never had believed that I was capable of adapting like that. And if someone tried to tell me a week ago that in the nearest future I'd be dragging around branches and palm leaves, I would have thought that they were completely nuts. But at the times of a true crisis, like this one, I was surprisingly competent. I used the leaves to create something vaguely resembling a skirt and now I looked just like a tropical dancer from tourist advertisements. The only thing missing was the obligatory orchid in my hair… But those didn't grow on our island. Pretty much nothing useful did.

Another unpleasant discovery was the feeling of hunger. In normal circumstances we don't actually need food, getting enough energy through the system, and so the painfully empty feeling in my stomach came was completely new to me. Since I couldn't even contemplate forcing myself to kill a living thing, I had to survive on berries, few coconuts I knocked down and some odd herbs and roots thrown in for a good measure. The last two were a bit of a joke, really, - people who manage to live in forests and feed only on funny roots they find around there can only exist in fantasy books. In reality most of those things are either inedible or have a horrid taste, but, in absence of anything else, I didn't have much choice.

Mara, as far as I could see, wasn't too fussed with her new predicament and seemed to view it as a vacation. She spent all of the first day lounging on the beach and got such a bad sunburn that after this experience she only came out to the sea in the evenings. However, she managed to make a hammock by stretching her huge cape between two palm trees, so at least her sleeping conditions were much better than mine. And, certainly, she had very few (if any) reservations about killing, so from time to time the breeze would bring tempting smells of cooking poultry. She had always had a knack for making and using slingshots, even as a child, I had to give her that. The aromas of nice hot food were driving me insane, but not insane enough to swallow my pride and ask for a piece, so at times like that I just went deeper into the island and knocked down another coconut.

At some point I got so fed up with the state of things that I decided to reconsider some of my scruples and suggest cooperation, especially since there was a good excuse: during our stay on the island, neither of us had gone far from the beach, and exploring the depths of the forest alone was a rather foolish thing to do. So, telling my pride to shut up and leave me alone for a while, I dragged myself over to Mara's side of the gulf. My former friend was leaning against one of the palm trees and examining it with great attention. When I came closer, it turned out that she was using a weak tongue of flame from her finger to burn her name (written in ancient runes, no less) into the trunk. This was the last straw. I spent next five minutes bent in half by a fit of hysterical laughter. Mara gave me an icy stare.

"What?"  
"Business." I was still clutching my stomach and trying to stop giggling.  
"Then start talking and make it quick." She seemed riled no end by my reaction.

I succinctly presented my idea about the expedition into the inland areas of the island. She didn't _look_ too enthusiastic about it, but I was sure that she, like me, was dying from boredom, and this little adventure could provide at least some entertainment. After a short pause she finally declared:

"We'll leave tomorrow." And after a pondering look at me she added: "You don't have any footwear, do you?"

I shook my head. My shoes seemed to have been washed away by the tide when I was coming to my senses on the shore. After searching under a nearby bush, Mara returned triumphantly with a pair of socks.

"Here. Take this. Not boots, but it's still better than roaming the woods barefoot."  
"Thanks…" I was more than a little shocked by this sudden display of generosity.  
"Nothing to thank for." She sniffed scornfully. "I'm just not too thrilled by the prospect of spending most of the way listening to you whining about your poor feet hurting."

---

Next morning I was rudely awakened by someone holding my nose. I jumped up, gasping for air, and immediately two foreheads crashed into each other: mine and Mara's, who was leaning over me. She recoiled, but even the pain didn't wipe a self-satisfied smirk off her face.

"Wake up, you sleepyhead." She snickered. "I intend to eat my lunch at a much more interesting place than this dump."

I noticed that she took all of her stuff along, which could only mean that she wasn't planning to come back here at all. I looked at my shelter and felt a pang of regret. Come to think of it, I actually liked this hut. But I had no time for contemplation, so I just pulled on the socks I had carefully washed yesterday, quickly swallowed a handful of berries (taking notice that most of my supply of them had disappeared since the evening) and, after grabbing a couple of coconuts, I declared that I was ready to go.

And so we headed into the jungle. At first, the journey didn't seem demanding at all. But as we went further, the trees grew closer and closer to each other, the under brush got denser and there was an increasing number of small brooks to climb over. Branches lashed against my bare arms and legs and my skirt was soon little more than a comforting memory. I did wonder just how idiotic I looked then, dressed in nothing but a pair of knee-high socks. After noticing my sorry state, Mara gave me her trouser-legs that she had torn off in the first day of our stay, but providently took along to the trip. I gladly wrapped myself in those pieces of fabric, and I couldn't care about the aesthetics of my outfit less even if I tried very hard.

"Thanks again." I really was grateful.  
"You owe me one." Her grin seemed to lack the usual malicious touch to it.

After about five hours we finally reached a small clearing. Exhausted we fell on the ground, taking no notice of the pointy grass and thorny dry twigs. I closed my eyes, enjoying every second of this much needed rest, but suddenly Mara grabbed my hand. I stared at her, perplexed, but she just pressed her index finger against her lips.

"Shush! I think we're not alone." She nodded at the bushes at the far side of the clearing. I could hear rustling and puffing noises coming from them.  
"What are we going to do?"  
"We stand up. Veeery slowly…"

We got up silently and started sneaking away from the source of the noise, but the futility of this strategy became clear when a sharp thorn entered my heel and an unintentional but loud shriek of pain escaped my lips. Mara hissed at me, but it was too late – the bushes parted and revealed a wild boar running straight at us. As if by prior agreement, we took off in opposite directions, with a slight hope of confusing the animal. There was no point in keeping silent, so I instantly became a target of an endless stream of obscenities. I could only listen, as I knew I was at fault and Mara needed to vent her stress…somehow, especially since the boar chose her as its preferred victim. She was running around the clearing, making quick dashes in different directions, probably trying to tire the beast. The only thing left for me was to climb a tree and observe this morbidly mesmerizing scene from there.

At one point Mara managed to throw her multi-functional cape over the boar's head, but tripped over a snag at the same time and lost her balance, tumbling down right next to the animal. Everything from then on seemed to be in cinematic slow motion. Mara, horrified, stared at the approaching danger. The beast ran at her, shaking its head, infuriated by the temporary blindness. I jumped down on the ground and ran towards them, knowing I wouldn't make it in time. Mara rolled aside at the very last moment. Unable to resist the momentum of its giant body, the boar came crashing into the tree and fell on the ground, stunned. And I grabbed its back and hit it with an electric discharge, putting all my powers into that last attack. And then there was nothing but darkness.

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_To be continued._


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's notes: _Sharing a room with a translator has it's advantages. For example, you can kick her untill she starts doing what she has to do. :) So we managed to finish chapter 3. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing/translating it.  
_  
Translator's notes: _Yes, Mara swears in British English. Mainly because I like it this way. Also because it has more swearwords...

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_Chapter 3_

The sun had already set by the time I regained consciousness. Mara was sitting at a fire and staring at the boar's carcass, clearly exhausted and frustrated.

"You finished it off?" My voice was trembling much more that I would have preferred.  
"Me?" She gave me a peevish look. "It was _you_ who killed it. And while you snored, I spent hours trying to flay the bloody thing. No use – the skin's too thick."

I shut my mouth, suppressing a shriek. Mara kept talking, on and on, but the only thing I could hear were six words: "It was _you_ who killed it." I took a living thing's life! I, a goddess, albeit not the kindest, most honest and pacific, but still serving the Heaven, committed a murder! Somewhat inappropriately, I remembered seeing Belldandy preparing fish for sushi, but sister didn't _kill_ that fish herself, so it didn't count…

"And just how long do you plan to sit there like an idiot?" Mara grinned. "We're out of firewood. Go gather some."  
"You.. you don't understand what has happened…"My voice was thin and weak, little more than a mouse's squeak. "Killing is forbidden for us. And I did it. Intentionally."  
"Oh dear. What a shame." She replied with bitter sarcasm. "Maybe if you didn't scream your lungs out back then, we could have escaped peacefully."  
"It's not my fault that I stepped on something very sharp! I was in pain!"  
"You could have endured it quietly! You're not a sodding kid!"  
"Just piss off, will you!" I turned away and, suddenly, tears gushed from my eyes.

I think it was what people call a nervous breakdown. I wept hysterically and it seemed like I'd never stop. The exhaustion from being on this island in a feeble human body, horror of being left here forever, fear for my own life and also Mara's (although I rarely admitted it even to myself) were now exacerbated by the abomination of a murder. I was on the verge of screaming, and I'm not sure I succeeded in restraining myself. I was brought round by a loud slap.

"Stop it!" Mara grabbed me by the shoulders and shook hard. "It was self-defense, you hear me! You offed that brainless animal to save me!"

I stared at her, still failing to fully understand what she was getting at.

"My life _is_ more important, right?" There was a hint of a wry smile on her lips.  
"You are an egotistical ass, Mara." I wiped my eyes dry. "But you're probably right."

Following a momentary impulse, I gave her a hug, but was rewarded with a quiet snicker. I instantly pulled back with a sheepish smile.

"I remember seeing on TV that carcasses are sometimes cut up with an axe." I said, trying to make myself useful.  
"Yeah. All that's left is finding one." Mara shook her head.  
"Well, you do have a sharp rock. If we attach it to a stick, it will be close enough to an axe…"

The remainder of the evening was spent manufacturing the "axe". It wasn't easy finding a suitable branch, but even when fortune smiled on us in that respect, there were still many hurdles to overcome. The rock stubbornly refused to stay on the stick and kept flying off and falling on our feet. By the time we made something vaguely resembling the much-needed prehistoric tools, we were about to collapse from fatigue. We lied down, back-to-back, next to the fire, silently praying that no wild animal would be around to be tempted by the wild boar, which cost us so much sweat and blood, or by our own bodies.

I can't say I slept well that night, even in comparison to the previous nights on the island. Mara kept tossing and turning, shoving me from time to time and completely ignoring my pokes, and as if that wasn't enough, she started snoring in the morning. I got up with the dawn, annoyed and sleep-deprived and started making the fire, intentionally making as much noise as possible. I stopped in satisfaction only when I heard my companion's sleepy grumbling.

After a perfunctory and not-really-so antagonistic argument we munched on a coconut and continued our efforts in cutting up the carcass. There was no time to waste; the meat would soon start rotting in this hot climate. Mara was waving the axe around with such zeal, that the rock soon got loose and flew away far into the jungle, but only after we managed to separate two back les of the beast, which we immediately roasted in the fire. Despite all problems, this lightened our mood and we continued our journey in high spirits.

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TBC, obviously.


	4. Chapter 4

_Notes:_ We (author and translator, that is) are not too sure about keeping the teen rating, since Mara has a tendency to swear quite a bit when distressed. We will probably rate the fanfic as mature from the next chapter due to other reasons, but for now on the borderline language doesn't seem to warrant a rating change. If you disagree regarding the matter, please voice your opinion in the reviews. It will be much appreciated. :)

_Translator's notes:_ Two (admittedly VERY small) chapters in a day! Woohoo! I've almost caught up with the Russian version now...

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_Chapter 4_

The sun was already high over the horizon when the forest started thinning, but when we finally reached the open land, there was nothing to celebrate. We were on a beach, exactly like the one we had left. I even began to think that we had simply returned to where we started from, but the absence of my little shelter quickly proved me wrong. Mara threw all of her stuff down and started kicking the sand furiously, swearing through her clenched teeth and cursing everything in this world and the next one. It was obvious that this place was not what she expected to see at the end of our laborious journey. Her outburst ended only when a gust of wind blew sand into her eyes, after which she stopped ranting and raving and rushed to the sea. I followed her.

"Hey! Wait!"  
"Sod off!" She roared at me. "I've had enough of this! I'm sick of those beaches. Sick! Fed up! I hoped that we are on a continent, that we'll find at least a trace of civilization and will make our way home from there. But we are on an island after all! On a blasted island which can be crossed in one day!  
"And what exactly are you planning to do?"  
"I'm drowning myself!" She declaimed confidently. "Getting rid of this corporeal form and going home!"  
"Not that I want to disappoint you, but…" I put my hand on her shoulder. "Not gonna happen. You can't swim, but you are still capable of water-breathing. So, the best you can hope for is spending a couple of hours on the seabed until you get mindnumbingly bored."  
"What about climbing a tall palm tree and jumping down?" Mara suggested.  
"Hmmm… You'll break some bones. It will hurt. Probably not going to kill you, though." I shook my head. "And besides, there is no guarantee that getting rid of your physical body is going to help you get back home anyway."

"Bugger." She sat down on the sand, hugging her knees. "I don't want to stay here forever."  
"I don't think we are going to be here forever." I was now sitting next to her. "We are going to be saved. I'm sure they are looking for us already."  
"Speak for yourself." Mara said in a surprisingly quiet voice, hanging her head. "Nobody will bother looking for _me_."  
"But…" I was having great difficulty with finding the right words. "You are a valuable employee. Probably… And so on…"  
"You are forgetting _who_ sent me here…" Now she sounded completely despondent.  
"Oh, but she cools down pretty fast. Sometimes."  
"Yeah. She'll get over it in about a hundred years. Just in time to pick up my rotting remains. Great."'  
"Somebody is going to find me. And I won't leave you here." I proposed. Mara leaped to her feet and headed towards the sea with a determined look on her face.  
"Oh, _perfect_. And then I'll be stuck in your stupid Asgard without any connection to the system." She screamed, annoyed beyond belief. "I'd rather starve myself to death on the ocean floor!"

I shrugged my shoulders.

---

I estimate that a little more than an hour had passed before Mara reemerged from the water. Her hair hung in wet, clingy strands, seawater sloshed in her boots and in her hand she was clutching a big wobbling fish.

"I've reconsidered!" Mara flopped down on the sand next to me and thrust the fish into the campfire I had just finished making. "I'm too young to die."  
"Oh, good." I gave her one of my nicest smiles. "Very intelligent of you. But could you please drip water somewhere farther away from the fire? You're going to douse it."

Without saying a word, Mara pounced on me, readying her fists. I knew her fighting style all too well so I dodge her attack easily, but she managed to grab my shoulders, taking me down on the ground with her and we started rolling around on the sand, kicking and scratching each other. From time to time one of us managed to gain some advantage in the struggle, but usually failed to keep it for long, so our fight lasted for quite a while.

At the end, to my great shame, Mara saddled my stomach and pressed my arms into the ground, glowing with triumph. Further resistance was futile, as we were equally matched in strength and she clearly was in a better position now, so I made the most innocent face I could and simply winked at her. Mara instantly bounced off me and turned away, but not quickly enough for me not to notice just how violently she was blushing.

I chucked quietly. Her reaction didn't come as a surprise to me, as she had always been known for her ridiculously inappropriate reactions to flirtatious advances at herself, even jocular ones. And yes, I did exploit that little weakness of hers quite a lot when we were younger. So saying that Mara had taken umbrage at my little joke would be a massive understatement. As a result, we spent the rest of the day ignoring each other's presence and minding our own business.

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_On and on it goes..._


	5. Chapter 5

_Warning_: This chapter contains non-explicit female/female (vaguely) erotic scenes. If that offends you, skip over this chapter or read something else entirely. You have been warned.

_Additional disclaimer_: All clichés abundantly, violently and intentionally abused in this chapter belong to their respective creators who have coined them eons ago.

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_Chapter 5_

I was stretched out on the sand with my eyes shut softly, enjoying the gentle warmth of the setting sun. My mind, however, was far from being at peace, as dozens of seemingly irrelevant and pointless thoughts raced in my head, and despite my best efforts, I couldn't concentrate on anything at all.

To set my mind in some vague resemblance of order I started to scrutinize my memories of the potion and ingredient shelves back in the temple, trying to recall the exact contents of each and every one of them with impeccable accuracy. Puzzlingly, the greatest challenge in this task was summoning up in my memory the exact number of drops of the potion #9 in the blue bottle on the second shelf. But I was absolutely sure that I measured it right before ending up on the island! I couldn't have forgotten the result!

All of a sudden, something had screened the sunlight from me. I opened my eyes and found that it wasn't a cloud or a shadow of a tree but Mara, who was leaning right over me. And I didn't even notice her come so close!Without saying a word, she lowered her face even more and brushed her lips against mine, almost imperceptibly, but even this light touch was enough for me to freeze in shock.

Strangely encouraged by this reaction, she deepened the kiss, confidently claiming my mouth, and, Heaven, it was wonderful! No one had ever kissed me with such blazing passion before…Troubadour was a filthy amateur compared to her. What was I thinking? _Nobody_ could even begin to compare to her!

I kissed her back, sliding my arms around her neck and pressing my body against hers.My heart fluttered wildly, almost dangerously fast, and I didn't mind it for a second. To hell with everything! Why should I deprive myself of such overwhelming pleasure!

Mara's fingertips were brushing my skin lightly, making my body arch with waves of desire. I threaded my fingers through her hair, bringing her head down to my neck. My breath became increasingly hoarse and ragged as I felt her sharp fangs teasingly bite my skin from time to time, fueling a growing flame inside me, one I wouldn't be able to restrain for much longer.

Mara threw aside the few rags I was wearing, leaving my body completely open to her, now more insistent, caresses. Never before had I let anyone go that far. And never before had I felt such a burning desire in me. Her hand was fondling my breasts, while she let her lips meticulously explore my neck and shoulders. I was now unable to contain soft moans and whimpers, unmistakably revealing that she was indeed on the right way.

I yanked at her shirt in an attempt to take it off but the buttons kept escaping from my shaking fingers, as if they intentionally tried to keep my lover's body hidden from my eager sight. And then Mara suddenly started laughing. The sound of her laughter was sharp, piercing my very soul, and so loud that I couldn't resist the urge to cover my ears.

I opened my eyes wide... and woke up.

---

I abruptly sat up on the sand, checking my clothes hurriedly. Everything was in place. My cheeks were burning and I quietly thanked Heaven that awoke in the middle of the night when nobody could see me. I looked around, trying to find Mara and discovered her sleeping, completely covered with her cape, ten meters away from me even though I could distinctly remember her falling asleep next to me, by the campfire, in the evening.

I sighed with relief – it was just a dream. Just a dream. A very bizarre one, though… I shivered at the thought and tried to go back to sleep, but my mind wouldn't let go of the vivid memories of the recent vision. The subconscious is a truly odd thing, it never fails to conjure up the weirdest images conceivable. Yeah, I've always thought Mara to be a rather attractive woman, but not in _that_ way. Knowing her personality, I could never have imagined that she was even interested in sex... And she _isn't_ interested! Argh! I jumped to my feet and went swimming, as it was painfully obvious that I wasn't in a condition to fall asleep any time soon.

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_If you have survived through this godawful dream scene, you shall be amply rewarded by the next chapter where there is actually some plot! Whee!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's notes_: First of all, I'd like to thank my muse, who gave me inspiration and helped with some ideas for this fanfic, my translator and a very important friend, Asterdw. And of course I'd like to thank everyone who reads this story. Hope you are _still_ enjoying it. :)

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_ Chapter 6_

The morning was more than a little awkward: I was trying to avoid lookingat Mara, she also was making clear effort to stare past me and our conversations were awfully strained. We had a short and rather unenthusiastic chat at breakfast and hadn't talked to each other since. I was puzzled at her strange behavior and decided that it could only be explained by her still sulking because of what happened yesterday. Given the circumstances, this was probably for the best.

In addition to all of the above the weather had started to worsen: it had gotten noticeably colder, the sky had turned gray and it was getting harder and harder to ignore the blasts of piercing wind which had begun to blow from the sea. Having remembered the documentaries about tropical storms I had seen on TV, I became extremely uneasy. We could be washed away into the ocean if we stayed on the shore, and going into the forest would probably lead in us being buried under falling trees, and both of those prospects seemed equally dire. Not too far away from me I could see Mara throwing pebbles into the ocean to keep herself warm.

"What should we do?" I asked, still reluctant to make eye contact.  
"Any suggestions?" She was also averting her eyes.  
"Well, we can make a shelter out of palm leaves and branches over there." I pointed towards the edge of the forest.  
"How is that going to help?" She enquired. "If what is going to start soon will be what I think it will be, we are going to lose your shelter in a blink of an eye."  
"We could get lucky and get off lightly with it being just a drizzle."  
"Yeah, right…"

We dragged all of our food supplies into what seemed like a safe place at the time and started building a fortification out of surrounding branches and stones. We didn't get very far in our construction works, though, because it started to rain. Storm-clouds gathered almost instantaneously and the huge mass of water came down on us in one continuous flow. The wind was bending the trees so hard that they looked like could be torn out of the ground any second. The picture of a "tropical storm from hell" was crowned with blinding lightning flashes and roaring bursts of thunder. For the first time in a long while I was completely powerless against one of my own elements, and this only served to intensify my anxiety.

I crawled into our unfinished shelter to shield myself from the wind at least a little and soon Mara followed my suit. However, we soon saw that the rising tide was approaching too quickly and we needed to enter the jungle to avoid getting flooded. Grabbing each other to stay on our feet, we lagged deeper into the forest. The rain had turned into a downpour, hiding even the closest objects from sight, so we had to guess our way through the trees without relying on our eyes which seemed to report that there was a liquid wall right in front of our noses. One of the trees we were passing got struck by a lightning, losing a large branch which was sent flying straight on my head. The last thing I felt before passing out yet again was the residual electric charge passing through my body.

---

-o-

"Urd-sama, we need your presence here." Ere's voice in the phone receiver was trembling.  
"What's wrong?" I tried to imagine what could have happened in Heaven that would require my involvement.  
"A system intrusion attempt. Second degree. Demon." I had to admit that my assistant had a talent for concise explanations. Secretly hoping that the culprit wasn't someone I knew, I ascended to Asgard.

-o-

"Name: Urd."  
"Voice identification complete. Access granted. Please take your place.

I sat down comfortably in my chair and lowered my hands onto the control panel, enjoying the familiar feeling of the strings of fate vibrating under my fingers. I pulled each of them, trying to locate the damaged data fragments. My assistants had already stopped and localized the intrusion, so I just had to neutralize it now.

-o-

"I want you to travel to Makai and negotiate for both affected parties to be present at Baldr's trial." Kami-sama's command perplexed me.  
"But… Why me? I don't want to go there." I grumbled into the transmitter, momentarily forgetting who I was dealing with.  
"Because no one else can influence Daimokaichou's decision in this matter. She has already sent back three emissaries without even granting them an audience. You are our only hope in this situation."

-o-

Makai palace hadn't changed much since the last time I'd been there. The same old dark corridors with redwood paneling lit only by flames of occasional torches, same old pompous servants in overly formal dress. And to think that I had once thought it was the best place in the whole world… The childhood memories flooded my mind. It was here that I first developed my interest in alchemy. It was here that I summoned my first lightning (annihilating two large rooms). It was here that I first met Mara, who had sneaked into the palace to take a peek at some grandiose ceremony. I tried to forget about those times but failed miserably. Even now, after so many years, I still harbored warm feelings for this weird place. Which was more than I could say about its ruler.

-o-

"It's our own internal business." Hild was drumming her fingers on the table impatiently. "You can tell your superiors that Baldr will be justly punished for the crimes he committed.""But Yggdrasil was also damaged! We must have our say in the matter!" I always tended to lose patience quickly when she was around. This time wasn't an exception.  
"First, we are talking about a demon here and they are under our jurisdiction. Second, the intrusion was also a danger to Nidhogg's stability. However…"  
"Under what conditions will Makai cooperate?" I was struggling to restrain myself.  
"Call me "Mum", promise that you will visit regularly…" She was counting the "conditions" on her fingers.  
"I knew it would come to this!" I was now on my feet, leaning over the negotiations table with my fists on the tabletop.  
"Call me every day to tell me how you are doing." _She_ was visibly amused by all this.  
"Never!" I felt rage bubbling up in me, threatening to explode at any second.  
"Oh, and I also heard about this earthly concept of "shopping". You just _have_ to show me what it is!"

I replied with a lightning bolt.

"Is this how you treat your mother?" She appeared right next to me in a blink of an eye.  
"You are not a _mother_ to me!" I muttered, already knowing what would happen next.

-o-

I had forgotten two tiny details. Firstly, Hild was tired and not particularly amicable from the very beginning of our conversation. Secondly, we were in the demon realm, where Daimakaichou's power, even if limited by the seals, was truly incredible. Those two details combined to result in me being sprawled on the floor of her office, almost unconscious. I could hear her starting to recite some ancient spell, but its meaning escaped me. Suddenly I saw a dark silhouette throw itself in front of me.

"Hild-sama! Don't do this! Please!"

Mara? Mara dared to confront her boss, who was clearly beside herself with fury? I couldn't believe my ears...

-o-

Hild's next lightning bolt was for both of us.

-o-

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_Translator's notes: _ Hi all, muse speaking. (Argh.) Anyway, this is where I tell you the slightly bad news: I've caught up with the Russian version of the fanfic, so there will be nothing more to translate until Kleo actually writes more chapters. I'm sure it's not going to take long, but just so you know: if this thing isn't getting updated - it's not my fault. (-grins-). Anyway, many thanks to Kleo for writing all this. I know at least one person person who is dying to know what is going to happen next and that person is me.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's notes: _Hi there! This chapter took more time then I thought, so I'm sorry for making you wait. I hope you'll like it.

_Translator's notes:_ Hello, folks. For some reason, I found this chapter incredibly hard-going in terms of translation, so sorry if it's even worse than usual. I'm really losing hope in my ability to translate anything even vaguely romantic. Too bad they don't teach THAT aspect of English in university.

Otherwise, have fun reading this.

-------------------------------------

_Chapter 7_

The first sensation that greeted me as I slowly woke from my comatose slumber was of something warm cuddling up to me. I jerked my head trying to shake off the post-swoon numbness and that "something" growled quietly in my ear. After prying my eyes open with great difficulty I saw that the origin of those disgruntled noises was Mara, who was fast asleep with her face buried in my neck and her arms wrapped firmly around my shoulders. She looked rather lousy, to put it mildly: dirty dishevelled hair, muddy face and a deep scratch cutting across her left cheek. On the other hand, I probably wasn't any better.

In my mind I kept returning to the moment when she shielded me against Hild's final attack. Why would she do that? What could have incited her to make such a decision? I couldn't even have imagined that she was capable of such selflessdeeds, especially for my sake. Yes, we were practically inseparable as children andkept in touch even after Imoved to Asgard. We went clubbing together as teenagers and having gotten older, we moved on to bars where we'd stay up all night with a bottle (or a few) of sake, chatting about everything in the world. But those times were long gone. Our paths parted when we got our jobs, and it seemed that the past was irrecoverably lost then.

But now I didn't know what to think. Mara risked everything she had to save me, and I was absolutely sure that her punishment wouldn't end with our little exile. But even so, I had to admit that had I been in her place, I would have done exactly the same for her. Like in the good old times when we'd play endless pranks on each other, not all of them entirely harmless, but instantly teamed up when threatened someone else.

Even in her sleep Mara's face seemed tense, her lips pressed tight together. I hugged her for a brief moment and then gently shook her shoulder. She stirred and opened her eyes right away.

"Mara… Why?" I asked almost inaudibly.  
"I didn't want you to be washed away." She slowly rolled aside and then added, "I was cold. It was warmer this way."  
"Not that…" I looked into her eyes. "I remembered how we got here."  
She turned away.  
"I don't know. I came in with the report she sent for earlier, saw you, heard what she was casting, tried to intervene," Mara shrugged her shoulders.  
"You just infuriated her even more."  
"Well, this didn't occur to me _then_." Another shrug. "Do you want apologies or what?"  
"But… Weren't you afraid?"  
"Who cares?" She got up and made her way for the water. "Can't change anything now."  
"I'm just trying to understand why you stood up against her then…"I tried tofollow her.  
"And just what do you want me to say?" She stopped cold and turned around to face me. "That I care about you? That I couldn't let her seal you away? Because it was what she was trying to do, by the way!" Her voice was on the verge of breaking into a scream now."Or, perhaps, you wanted to hear that for me you are still the closest person in the whole universe? That despite the years we've spent apart, I still bear hope for going back to the normal relationship that we shared? Well then, you've heard all that! Now piss off and let me clean myself in peace."

She stomped away towards the sea and I just stood there frozen to the spot in the middle of the beach. Of course I knew that Mara, like me, held our past very dear to her. But, observing how zealously she was trying to advance up the career ladder, I had concluded that in the present there was no place for me in her life. Today's revelation forced me to look at things differentlyIt was obvious that she was telling the truthand I knew very well just how unbearably difficult it was for Mara to confess something like this. She had always been extremely reluctant to speak about her feelings, even at times when we didn't bear tons of grudges against each other.

I just sat down on the sand and watched her undress and enter the water. Such a gorgeous woman… Simply stunning… I slapped myself hard. Why on earth do these thoughts swarm my mind now? Everything she said meant only that she wanted to recommence our friendly relations, and _nothing_ more. Furthermore, it's Mara, Demon First Class and all that jazz, and my childhood friend on top of that. Heaven, what switch was flipped in my head that made me look at her as something more than just a companion in childish adventures and an old drinking buddy?

I had pondered the question for some time and arrived at the conclusion that the electric charge that passed through my body during the thunderstorm was stronger than I thought and I was now suffering from some kind of brain damage. It's always nice to come up with at least a vaguely plausible rationalization for things that completely baffle you otherwise! But finding an explanation didn't change anything. The longer I watched Mara, the stronger grew the desire to screw the conventionalities, hold her close to me, feel the warmth of her skin, savor the taste of her lips… And no slaps seemed to suppress this obsession

I rose to my feet and approached Mara,who had just left the water.

"I wanted to apologize for..." I had trouble finding the right words or any words at all, for that matter. "Um… You know what I mean… The last conversation."  
"I've had worse," she sniffed. "But, mind you, I didn't really intend to say all that."  
"I know…" I lowered my eyes. "Demon pride and all that?"  
"And all that," she echoed.  
"I…Well, I really missed you all this time. Just wanted you to know…"

Mara replied wordlessly, by simply grabbing my shoulders and pulling me in for a tight, even if a little clumsy, hug. My heart began to race ferociously and, pressed against her chest, I could sense her heart thumping just as fast. I reached out to touch her cheek with my trembling lips and felt the circle of her arms around me tense up even more in response. I was afraid to move a muscle. What if she'd push me away? What if I had misinterpreted her actions? Finally, Mara relaxed her intense embrace, slowly, as if unwillingly, and I took advantage of this new opportunity to look into her face.

"Peace?" I asked in a faint whisper.  
"Sure," she nodded.

-o-o-o-

"I waited for you for two days!" Mara growled. We had already spent several hours lazing on the sand and discussing the past by the time she brought this issue up. "Two bloody days in a shady old bar!"  
"Oh, I bet you've gulped down all their alcohol supplies!" I grinned.  
"Naturally, but that's an irrelevant point. You didn't turn up, but instead I had a dubious honor of being visited by your sister and told that you were now working for the System."  
"I couldn't get in touch with you earlier," I started examining the sand.  
"But why didn't you turn the position down?" She leaned over me, staring straight into my eyes.  
"How could I?"  
"You didn't get my note? The second one."  
"Nope…"  
"Damnation!" Mara sprung to her feet. "I knew it was stupid messengers were not to be trusted!"  
"So what _was_ in that note?"  
"I proposed to run away."  
"_Run away?_"  
"Well, yeah… I had a great plan. I made an arrangement with… one of the neutrals. He was willing, for a price of course, to hack into the system, limiting our access rights, but also making our operations undetectable for the central offices. We could have hidden in the borderlands… or something. Okay, I didn't really think it through that far ahead, but…"

"So why didn't you use his services yourself?" I was genuinely interested.  
"Well, it seemed that you intentionally chose your career over the chance to keep meeting me, so I on that very day I submitted an application to the Earth contacts service. They were understaffed then."  
"You could have contacted me!"  
"Well, so could _you_, but you didn't. So I got pretty mad and decided that I wouldn't think of you ever again," she sighed.  
"I was awfully offended too." I glanced at her. "You just disappeared without even trying to talk to me, and then I found out just _where_ you ended up working."  
"Come to think of it, all this is such rubbish…" She sat down on the sand next to me.  
"That's so true, Maa-cha…" I couldn't finish the sentence, because of the sudden need to dodge Mara's kick and to respond accordingly. But just five minutes later we were lying around on the sand again, chuckling merrily.

Slowly but surely, the sun rolled down towards the horizon.

--------------------

_TBC _


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Notes_: Finally we did it! Here is the last chapter of this fanfic. I hope you'll like it.  
_Translator's notes:_ Yeah. This is very late because I'm a lazy ass. Sorry.

-----------------------

_Chapter 8._

Several more days passed. I spent them trying to figure out what exactly Mara's feelings were. Was it just friendship, or could there be hope for something more? I did manage to sort out my own emotions a little, but hers I didn't even have the slightest clue about. What was worse, I'd developed a paralyzing fear of destroying the shaky friendship that we had just rebuilt by actually asking her directly. But, on the other hand, there wasn't any point in passively waiting for something to happen either, and besides, even in the case of the worst possible reaction we could always just go back to dividing the island and completely ignoring each other. Of course, given the new circumstances, that would be practically unbearable, but… who said I wasn't going to get lucky? After all, wasn't I perfection incarnate?

We were sitting beside a small brook in the woods, resting after our berry-gathering trip. We were coming back almost empty-handed, but since most of our supplies had been washed away into the ocean during the storm and we had eaten up everything that remained, finding even a smallest amount of food was now a big success.

"I'm _so_ getting wasted if we evermake it out of here!" Mara declared dreamingly while washing the dirt off her hands. "Mmm… A bottle of pure gin… Or something even more potent, like vodka. Yeah, vodka! And then I'll go to restaurant…"  
"While drunk out of your face?" I decided to clarify.  
"Yeah, why not?"She frowned at me and continued, "I'll go to a restaurant and order the most expensive and ridiculously complicated dish they'll have. And then…"  
"You'll find a cute guy…" I suggested, dreading the answer.  
"Not interested in them," She brushed the idea off almost too quickly. My heart jumped with joy.  
"A girl, then?"  
"Now we're talking!" A cocky smile appeared on her lips. "Some gorgeous babe who can handle her drink. That way she can keep me company from the very beginning..."  
"I think I know someone who fits this description," I muttered under my breath.  
"Really?"

She turned to me and for one long second we just stared into each others eyes in silence. This frozen tableau was broken by her fingers brushing lightly and almost cautiously against mine and I softly squeezed her hand in response. We probably acted like two unbearably awkward teenagers on a first date, but I didn't mind that for a second. Soon there was barely any distance left between our lips… and, of course, the water in the brook just had to start bubbling at that very moment.

We leaped to our feet, with Mara taking a position slightly in front of me, prepared to shield me from potential danger once again. But this time there was no need for heroics. I nearly laughed out loud when a small whirlpool formed on the surface of the water and an all-too-familiar hammer appeared in the centre, quickly followed by my little sister, who was clutching its handle. A small genie was hesitantly peeping out from behind her shoulder, clearly burdened by a mobile phone tied to his back.

"Skuld!" I nearly crushed the little brat in my embrace.  
"You… Are you okay?" She cast a distrustful sidelong look at Mara, who was fully absorbed in tearing the phone handle off Senbei's back.  
"Yes, everything's fine." I smiled. "Apart from me losing my powers and all that."  
"Ha! Do you now understand how it is for me, huh, huh?" Skuld will always be Skuld, no matter what.  
"I do," I affirmed, deciding that later I'd be in a better position to play the part of a caustic and otherwise horribly evil older sister.  
"Then promise, that you'll never taunt of me ever again!"  
"Yeah, yeah…" I raised my right hand.

Skuld gave me a white phone, similar to the one Senbei brought for Mara. And immediately after clasping my hand around itI felt my powers come back to me as my connection to Yggdrasil finally got restore. I glanced at Mara. She seemed to be talking on the phone with someone with a puzzled look on her face. Could it be that she wasn't going to be punished further? I sure hoped so.

I started smartening myself up, which was far from easy. Now that I had my powers again, I was completely lost in the endless choice of dresses that suddenly became open to me. Should I wear the short white one? Or black? Trousers? Or my formal costume? I'd changed over a dozen outfits in one minute, ignoring mocking glances from Mara and impatient ones cast by my little sister, and in the end settled on a short leather dress with denim strips, which highlighted the stunning perfection of my body.

"Ready to go now?" Skuld asked.  
"Wait, I have one more matter to settle," I nodded towards Mara.  
"Fine. I'll go ahead then. Just remember that the portal's only going to last about five more minutes, so be quick," she said and jumped into the stream. Mara threw Senbei in the whirlpool immediately after that.

We exchanged glances. Well, our exile was over and, judging by the look of things, it wouldn't have any dire consequences. There wasn't enough time left for proper goodbyes, so I just came up to her, took her hands intomine and whispered in her ear:

"If you're still planning to get drunk, how about meeting up some time to celebrate our escape from this blasted island?"

Mara's reply was a kiss, hasty and desperately insistent, after which she immediately disappeared into the thin air without the usual purple smoke or any other special effects. I pressed my fingers against my lips and smiled.

That seemed like a "yes" to me...

_FIN._

---------------------------------

_More Author's Notes_: I hope you enjoyed this short story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'd like to thank the Academy, the God, Mr. Kosuke Fujishima, my mother, my cat Tomas for letting me finish it in quite a short period of time. :) But seriously, I'd like to thank a very important person, who, first of all, was my muse and inspiration, and secondly, spent a huge amount of time translating this fic into English for you to read it. Thank you, **Asterdw**! --hugs and kisses--

_Tranlator's notes, part deux_: Ah... Coming up with some ideas for this fic was so much fun. Translating it - not so much. I still feel like it's not as good as the original, but anyway... At least you all got a chance to read it in this somewhat abused form and hopefully got a laugh or two out of the experience. Oh and by the way, there is actually a sequel to this fanfic. An absolutely awesome one-shot by Kleo, which is ridiculously hot. (Hell, it has Urd in it, how can it fail to be hot?). Anyway, the bad news is that I'm pretty sure I'm excuciatingly bad at translating suggestive/romatic scenes (of which there are plenty), so I'm probably not going to start working on it any time soon. Thanks to **LadyKleo** for writing all this and to you all for reading it. Cheers!


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